Dinner with Denise

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Sunday, February 4, 2018

This pie crust recipe is very easy to make and has a tender texture with a bit of flakiness. It is a little soft for things like lattice work and may not be the prettiest crust but the flavor is awesome and it is a practically fail proof recipe that can be worked more than others.

Easy pie crust

3 cups flour

3⁄4 teaspoon salt (can use 1
teaspoon)

1 tablespoon sugar (optional for sweet
pies)

½ cup cold butter cut into bits

1 cup shortening(refrigerated
first) or may use all shortening

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar (optional for sweet
pies)

5 tablespoons very cold water (
start with 4 and use 5 if needed)

1 egg

In
a bowl, mix together flour salt and sugar

With
a pastry blender, cut in cold shortening until the size of peas. Next if
using cut in bits of cold butter.

In
a small cup, beat egg with a fork, add in the vinegar and water; whisk
until well blended.

Add
the water/egg mixture gradually to the flour mixture.

Shape
into ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in airtight container or in a Ziploc

Refrigerate
1 or more hours. It can stay in the refrigerator for several days.

When
readylightly flour a silicon sheet
or large cutting board or counter.

After
rolling out dough, cut into slightly bigger than the pie pan. Cut it off extra
on edges

Use for 1 large double deep dish pie
crusts. Or two to three top only or bottom only 8-9” crusts

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Today I am sharing a warm concoction that I have been drinking
most every day for the past month.It is called Golden Milk or Turmeric tea. While it is delicious, I drink it for its
health benefits as well as its pleasing taste, which is similar to a spicy chai latte.

I have been hearing about the possible benefits of turmeric
for years now and I decided to give it a try. Turmeric contains
anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidants.

I am always a bit of a skeptic but there is lots of research
showing turmeric may have some wonderful healing and pain relieving properties!
There have been scientific studies which may show a link to turmeric decreasing
pain from arthritis, osteoporosis, or fibromyalgia. It may reduce headaches. Turmeric may help with such varied conditions
as ulcerative colitis, stomach upset IBS, High cholesterol or high
triglycerides. There is evidence in studies that it can help fight against
colon and prostate cancers. Turmeric may boost immunity. It has some benefits
for the brain in slowing or improving conditions such as dementia, Alzheimer’s,
and depression. It may help with liver function and with insomnia.

Now I am not saying all of these benefits are certain and I am
not saying you can get enough Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, by drinking
this tea but it should help!I read that 1 -1 ½ tsp a day is a good dose for health benefits but
you should start out with only ½ tsp a day to see how you tolerate .

Please check with your health care professional to see if it
is good for you to have daily turmeric. There is some evidence that you should
not take regular doses of turmeric if you are pregnant or if you have GERD. It
could cause blood thinning so don’t use before surgery or if you have a blood
disorder. It might make gall bladder issues worse. The verdict is still out so
check with your health care professional. But I have been drinking golden milk
daily and I am feeling less pain and sleeping better.

Place all ingredient except milk in small sauce pan and simmer
for at least 10 minutes. If you have time, Let in sit for another 10 minutes
before using.

Strain through a mesh sieve at least one time and place in a
glass container. You may use it immediately in warm milk if you are making four
cups or mix up one serving, see directions below, and place the rest in a
container in the refrigerator.

To serve—heat up a ½ cup of this mixture and pour into mug of
½ cup warm milk—coconut, cashew, almond or dairy. You can add more or less milk
as you desire. You can heat up the turmeric mixture and milk together in a
sauce pan over low heat or in microwave but don’t get it too hot.

I think Golden milk is best served very warm. Add sweetener
such as maple syrup, ginger syrup or honey if desired, but not too much. Top
with cinnamon if desired. You may want to skip the last sip as the spice will
settle in the bottom of the mug and can be gritty.

The turmeric mix can be stored for a week or so in the
refrigerator. I am not sure if it could be stored longer but it is best to
drink this daily for maximum health benefits so it should be gone within four
days anyway.

Monday, December 5, 2016

Pimento cheese is a simple cheddar spread that is welcome at
parties or on the lunch table at home. It is a really tasty and easy to make
treat that is popular in the south but not as well known in other areas. It is delicious as an appetizer on crackers and celery. It can also be used to fill cherry tomatoes or
pitted olives. It is great on sandwiches or burgers.It could be dressed up by forming a ball or
log shape and rolling it shredded cheese. This was my first try at this. I
looked up a few recipes at southern Living and adjusted them into my own spin
on this classic. I will be making this one again.

Friday, December 2, 2016

Here is a delicious crunchy salad recipe to keep you eating healthy in the midst of all the holiday indulgences. This is not so much a recipe as a spring board. Try any of your favorite vegetables in this. If you don't like pickled vegetables feel free to skip them. Just try this and ...eat your vegetables!!

Crispy Vegetable Salad

Choose 4 or more of these vegetables. Enough for about 5 cups of
salad.

Saturday, October 15, 2016

Here is a repost of one of my favorite fall recipes featuring winter squash. It is a mac and cheese that is full of veggie goodness but you would never know. It gets a rich orange color and a full flavor from the addition of butternut or other winter squash puree.

Many are afraid of cooking with butternut because they think it must be peeled or chopped while raw. But for recipes like this one, the squash only needs to be cut in half or in quarters and then roasted . You could even pierce a whole butternut multiple times and then microwave it for a few minutes to soften the shell before cutting. After roasting according to the recipe, it is very easy to peel or scoop out the squash and then puree it. You could substitute frozen squash from the freezer section or even canned pumpkin. Or try some of the specialty winter squashes like the sweet buttercup or the fluffy kabocha; just cut and roast them like butternut.

1 lb. pasta, hearty variety cellantani or elbow would be good choices, whole grain if desired

1/3 cup Greek yogurt, optional

1 1/3 cup Swiss or gruyere cheese, shredded

1 1/3 cup sharp or extra sharp cheddar, shredded

1/3 cup parmegiano reggiano, grated

2-3 large tomatoes (or use 4-5 roma tomatoes)

About ¾ cup panko bread crumbs (whole wheat is best if you can find them)

Another 2 Tablespoons Parmegiano regiano

First, cook the squash. I prefer roasting it for added flavor and color. To roast, you may wash and cut it into quarters .OR you could peel it whilst whole and cut into cubes, which will cook a bit faster. Discard seeds or save them to roast like pumpkin seeds.

Place squash into a rectangular baking dish, which you may line with foil. Add a little water and cover with foil, baking at 350 for about 45 minutes (30 minutes for cubes) and then uncover and cook for 15 minutes more. Let it cool and peel if you have not yet.

Another method you could use to cook squash: simmer squash cubes on the stovetop in a large pot with water, about 25 minutes and drain.

Once butternut is cooled. You may mash by hand or puree in a food processor with a bit of water.

Squash may be cooked and mashed ahead of time. Keep refrigerated.

Preheat oven to 375.

In a large pot, melt butter and add flour, cook for two minutes.

At the same time, heat salted water in large deep pot for pasta. Once it is at a lively boil, add pasta. Keep the water boiling. Check for doneness

To the butter and flour, add warmed milk and whisk or stir vigorously. Add the mashed squash and spices. Stir and cook for 8 minutes or so. If it looks too thick you can add a bit more milk.

Remove from heat and add Greek yogurt if using. Then stir in cheeses, mixing thoroughly.

Add well drained pasta and then place into a large rectangular dish that is lightly oiled ( I like to spray olive oil with misto sprayer).

Mix in syrup; cook, stirring often, until clumps begin to form,
about 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in coconut and chia seeds. Season with
salt if needed. Transfer to a parchment or wax paper-lined baking sheet; let
cool.

Other great seeds to include are hemp seed or flax seed meal.
You could also add 2 tsp fennel, aniseed, caraway, or cumin seeds but be aware
these will give a strong flavor.

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Fall is here and so is Winter Squash Season! It should be an
official designation because as so as the leaves change famers markets and
grocery stores begin to fill up with winter squash. There is always a big bin
of wonderful winter squash in our market and I bring quite a few home. Many of
them that have hard skins, like Hubbard, and will last the whole winter but the
Delicata which are discussing today is softer so it must be used within a few
weeks.

Delicata is so easy to prepare as it does not need to be
peeled; it has a softer skin which can be eaten. You can peel it easily if you
prefer. It has a flavorful flesh that is
not overly sweet. It cooks up faster than many winter squash making it ideal
for weekday dinners. It can be sliced and sautéed in olive oil with a drizzle
of maple syrup if you want to play up the sweet notes or served plain with a little
salt and pepper.It can be mixed into various grain dishes like farro or
risotto. It can be cut up and roasted with
various glazes or herbs like sage and rosemary. It can be halved and baked and
filled with quinoa or farro or bulgar or a savory meat mixture like our recipe
today. I choose this meat filling tonight because some of the people at my
table were not too sure if they would like delicata squash and they were more
meat lovers. Next time I really want to try it with bulgar, spinach and tomato.

It is a truly fall dish as delicata is harder to find in the
stores outside of its fall harvest time. Delicatas were not grown much after
the 1930’s due to being susceptible to squash diseases. It has made a comeback
after the early 2000’s when a disease resistant variety was cultivated. I could
see delicatas becoming more popular like its cousins the acorn or butternut .

Our first winter squash recipe of the year is very
verstatile and easy to make. It can be prepared ahead and baked for 20 -25 minutes just before eating so it is perfect for week nights.

In a rectangle baking dish, pre bake squash, uncovered, cut side down in ½ or so water.

Bake for about 10-15 minutes till slightly soft.
(You may refrigerate these for use later.)

In a wide pan, begin to brown ground meat. Once it is just
nicely browned on the outside, add onion. After a few minutes add seasoning,
garlic and cook until meat is barely done and onion is soft. Add tomatoes and
stir to combine. Taste and add more spice, herbs, salt or garlic if needed.

Turn the Delicata squash so the open side is up. Drain
excess water from the baking dish. Fill the open space on the squash with meat
mix and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 15 minutes until squash is soft. Bake
uncovered for 5 minutes more. You may
add a bit of grated cheese before you return it to oven.

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About Me

One of my joys in life is gathering people around my table to enjoy a good meal together. I love connecting with people and I love cooking so creating a blog seems like a good idea. I hope these recipes inspire you to get in the kitchen and create something delicious to share with your family and friends!
I LOVE comments so post if you have a comment,question or just to say hi.
Most of the recipes I post are originals; so I ask that you contact me before reposting. Thanks!